I doubt anyone is complaining about DYST now!

When the US government decided two years ago to advance daylight saving time to the second Sunday in March, there were lots of complaints, but after this weekend, with its bright sunny days, I doubt that anyone is complaining about the longer days. I may still grumble that I wake up in the dark, but having daylight well into the evening is a bonus.
I found myself surprised late Sunday, as the day remained bright past 7:00 in the evening. Spring really is on its way.
Walking through several stores over the weekend, I spotted seeds out on display, teasing every gardener. Peat, potting soil, fibre containers were close by. It may be a bit early to start those seedlings, but the idea of eating newly grown green peas, radishes and leaf lettuce is already on the minds of gardeners.
In the same aisles, barbecues were prominently displayed. They have now gone from the popular any colour as long as it is black, to burnished stainless steel and bright red.
They now come with ovens, refrigerators, and extra burners. The simple barbecue is disappearing.
The new barbecue season is here already. In our household, the barbecue was never put away last fall. We barbecued through the winter. It still seems to be functional, but it is beginning to show its age. The electronic ignition stopped working years ago. The burner has been replaced several times. The gas hoses were replaced several a few years ago, but now the deflecting heating grills have now rusted through. Maybe this is the year it will be replaced. My wife wonders where the small compact gas barbecues have gone.
I enjoy fishing and Cabelas, Bass Pro and Gander Mountain are already trolling in my wallet with new lures, new rods, and new reels. And the catalogues that seem to arrive every other week contain new electronics for my boat. They are all must have necessities for catching fish. Bigger screens, more pixels, 3-D imaging, more colour just won’t give the fish a chance. All are guaranteed to make me a better fisherman. Time and practice just don’t seem to count.
And along with those new electronic gadgets are new softer plastics, more realistic minnows, lighter rods, better braided line and more invisible line. Who can resist?
Spring is on the horizon. Snow may make an appearance or two in the next several weeks. But the pent up energy of spring can be felt. Snow is melting away from the bases of trees encouraging them to prepare for budding and getting the sap running.
The slush on the lake has frozen and the snow has settled. Trucks have begun delivering building supplies to cottages in anticipation of the building season. I check the calendar, and see that only 7 weeks remain until the boating season begins.
And before then, the snow must melt. The spring yard cleanup has to take place. The lawn must be raked. All the branches that blew down in January picked up, and the hedges cleaned and trimmed. The energy and vigor of spring is in the air.

–Jim cumming,
Publisher